Electrocoating or E-coating is a metal finishing process in which a thin film polymer or other suitable material is deposited onto a properly prepared surface of a metallic substrate. During a typical automotive E-coating process, a metal vehicle body or panel passes through a tank containing an electrolyte fluid, e.g., a mixture of resin binder and a paste containing paint of a desired pigment. Primary electrodes in the form of steel plates line the walls of the tank. Electrical current is applied to the primary electrodes and flows through the electrolyte fluid to the substrate and to ground. The electrical current is supplied via an overhead conveyor as the substrate moves through the electrolyte fluid. E-coating thus uses strategically-positioned primary electrodes to precisely control the deposition of paint molecules onto the various surfaces of the metallic substrate. The paint molecules adhere to the surface, and after curing provide a finished appearance.